Football’s Makhi Hughes Named to 2024 Maxwell Watch List
Jul 29, 2024 | Football
Philadelphia – Tulane sophomore running Makhi Hughes has been named to the Maxwell Award Watch List, the Maxwell Football Club announced on Monday.
The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the outstanding football player in college football. The Maxwell has been presented to the College Football Player of the Year since 1937 and is named in honor of Robert "Tiny" Maxwell who was a former standout at Swarthmore College and went a renowned sportswriter and football official. This will be the 88th presentation of the Maxwell Award.
The full list consists of 80 players with 17 schools having two or more players represented.
Hughes led the team and conference in rushing with 1,378 yards in 2023 on his way to earning First Team All-AAC and being named the AAC's Rookie of the Year. He averaged 5.3 yards per carry and totaled seven rushing scores.
Tulane's football team was recently chosen for third in the AAC Preseason Media Poll with 362 points plus two first-place votes.
This season, Tulane brings back three of the team's five starters on the offensive line (Shadre Hurst, Josh Remetich, Rashad Green), the leading rusher in the conference (Hughes), two of the team's top four receivers (Alex Bauman, Yulkeith Brown), the team's punter (Will Karoll) and long snapper (Ethan Hudak), the team's top three tacklers (Jesus Machado, Tyler Grubbs and Bailey Despanie) and three of the six leading defensive players in tackles for loss (Jenkins, Grubbs and Kameron Hamilton).
Tulane finished the 2023 season with a mark of 11-3 and a perfect 8-0 record in the American Athletic Conference. The program concluded the campaign with the 16th bowl appearance at the GoBowling Military Bowl contest against Virginia Tech. It was the fifth time in the last six years that Tulane has appeared in a bowl game. The team is 23-5 over the last two seasons.
The school announced the hiring of Jon Sumrall as the 42nd head coach of the team on December 8, 2023. The Huntsville, Alabama native was one of the most successful head coaches in the country the last two seasons. He guided Troy University to a 23-4 record, two Sun Belt Conference championships and a pair of double-digit winning streaks. He was named Sun Belt Conference Coach of Year and was twice named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year honor. Sumrall returns to Tulane after serving as the Green Wave's Co-Defensive Coordinator for three years (2012-14). In 2013, he was a crucial part of Tulane's run to the New Orleans Bowl, the program's first postseason appearance since 2002 and third since 1988. Sumrall also was named a finalist for FootballScoop Defensive Line Coach of the Year.
Tulane's football team will start the 2024 season on Thursday, August 29, with a home contest against Southeastern Louisiana at Yulman Stadium at 7 p.m. The program has home games against Kansas State (September 7), South Florida (September 28), Rice (October 19), Temple (November 9) and Memphis (November 28). The road games for the 2024 season include trips to Oklahoma (September 14), Louisiana (September 21), UAB (October 5), North Texas (October 26), Charlotte (October 31) and Navy (November 16).
2024 Maxwell Award Watch List
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The Maxwell Football Club has once again partnered with Pro Football Focus (PFF) and Phil Steele Publications as selection committee partners. PFF provides detailed metrics and performance-based assessments to selection committee staff, with several senior PFF analysts are members of our selection committee. Phil Steele's College Football Preview is generally recognized as the most complete preseason magazine.
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Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award will be announced November 12, 2024, while the three finalists for the Maxwell Award will be unveiled November 26, 2024. The winners of the 88th Maxwell Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 12, 2024. The formal presentations of the Maxwell Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards in March 2025.
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Questions concerning the 2024 Maxwell & Bednarik Award watch list can be directed to MFC Executive Director Mark Wolpert mwolpert@maxwellfootballclub.org or MFC Vice President of College Awards Rich Cirminiello rcirminiello@maxwellfootballclub.org.
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ABOUT THE MAXWELL FOOTBALL CLUB – The Maxwell Football Club was founded in 1935 and is the oldest football organization of its kind in America. The Club recognizes excellence in performance at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of the game. The Maxwell Club is also deeply involved and fully vested in the community through programs to promote academic excellence, community volunteerism, and leadership. High school student-athletes around the country have an opportunity to participate in MFC Showcase events, free of charge, through the generosity of our corporate partners, Ivy Rehab, SAFR, the ETC Foundation and the Run Around Inc. To learn more about our story visit www.maxwellfootballclub.org.
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ABOUT PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS - PFF is widely recognized as the industry leader in the advanced data collection and analysis for American football. Since 2011, PFF has led football's charge into the world of analytics. Their services are trusted by all 32 NFL teams and over 100 FBS programs. Major broadcast networks, national media outlets and player agencies all use PFF as a resource as well. PFF's media network provides fans with apps, tools, podcasts and other content to help satisfy their thirst for deeper insights in the game.
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The Maxwell Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football's most prestigious awards. The NCFAA's 25 awards have honored more than 900 recipients since 1935. This season, 12 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday.
Sixteen NCFAA members are unveiling preseason watch lists over a two-week period as the association spearheads a coordinated effort to promote each award's preseason candidates. Following is the remaining 2024 preseason watch list calendar:
Tue., July 30: Outland Trophy/Bronko Nagurski Trophy
Wed., July 31: Paycom Jim Thorpe Award
Thu., Aug. 1: Paul Hornung Award/Wuerffel Trophy
Fri., Aug. 2: Lou Groza Award/Ray Guy Award
Mon., Aug. 5: Walter Camp Award
Tue., Aug. 6: Doak Walker Award
Wed., Aug. 7: Biletnikoff Award
Thu., Aug. 8: Davey O'Brien Award
Fri., Aug. 9: Mackey Award/Rimington Trophy
Mon., Aug. 10: Bednarik Award
Tue,, Aug. 13: Butkus Award
TICKETS
Tickets for the upcoming football, volleyball, men's and women's basketball seasons can be purchased by calling 504-861-WAVE (9283), logging on to TulaneTix.com or visiting the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow Tulane football on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram. Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
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WE ARE NOLA BUILT
Tulane University is located in the city of New Orleans. It is a city built on tradition and resiliency. The lessons Green Wave student-athletes have learned through their connection with this university and city have BUILT doctors, lawyers, business leaders, conference champions, all-conference players, All-Americans, professional athletes and NCAA tournament teams. The city of New Orleans has shaped us into who we are today. We are One City. We are Tulane. We are NOLA BUILT. Check out our story at NolaBuilt.com.
                                                         - TulaneGreenWave -
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The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the outstanding football player in college football. The Maxwell has been presented to the College Football Player of the Year since 1937 and is named in honor of Robert "Tiny" Maxwell who was a former standout at Swarthmore College and went a renowned sportswriter and football official. This will be the 88th presentation of the Maxwell Award.
The full list consists of 80 players with 17 schools having two or more players represented.
Hughes led the team and conference in rushing with 1,378 yards in 2023 on his way to earning First Team All-AAC and being named the AAC's Rookie of the Year. He averaged 5.3 yards per carry and totaled seven rushing scores.
Tulane's football team was recently chosen for third in the AAC Preseason Media Poll with 362 points plus two first-place votes.
This season, Tulane brings back three of the team's five starters on the offensive line (Shadre Hurst, Josh Remetich, Rashad Green), the leading rusher in the conference (Hughes), two of the team's top four receivers (Alex Bauman, Yulkeith Brown), the team's punter (Will Karoll) and long snapper (Ethan Hudak), the team's top three tacklers (Jesus Machado, Tyler Grubbs and Bailey Despanie) and three of the six leading defensive players in tackles for loss (Jenkins, Grubbs and Kameron Hamilton).
Tulane finished the 2023 season with a mark of 11-3 and a perfect 8-0 record in the American Athletic Conference. The program concluded the campaign with the 16th bowl appearance at the GoBowling Military Bowl contest against Virginia Tech. It was the fifth time in the last six years that Tulane has appeared in a bowl game. The team is 23-5 over the last two seasons.
The school announced the hiring of Jon Sumrall as the 42nd head coach of the team on December 8, 2023. The Huntsville, Alabama native was one of the most successful head coaches in the country the last two seasons. He guided Troy University to a 23-4 record, two Sun Belt Conference championships and a pair of double-digit winning streaks. He was named Sun Belt Conference Coach of Year and was twice named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year honor. Sumrall returns to Tulane after serving as the Green Wave's Co-Defensive Coordinator for three years (2012-14). In 2013, he was a crucial part of Tulane's run to the New Orleans Bowl, the program's first postseason appearance since 2002 and third since 1988. Sumrall also was named a finalist for FootballScoop Defensive Line Coach of the Year.
Tulane's football team will start the 2024 season on Thursday, August 29, with a home contest against Southeastern Louisiana at Yulman Stadium at 7 p.m. The program has home games against Kansas State (September 7), South Florida (September 28), Rice (October 19), Temple (November 9) and Memphis (November 28). The road games for the 2024 season include trips to Oklahoma (September 14), Louisiana (September 21), UAB (October 5), North Texas (October 26), Charlotte (October 31) and Navy (November 16).
2024 Maxwell Award Watch List
| FIRST | LAST | SCHOOL | CLASS | POS |
| Jalen | Milroe | Alabama | Junior | QB |
| Joey | Aguilar | Appalachian State | Senior | QB |
| Tetairoa | McMillan | Arizona | Junior | WR |
| Noah | Fifita | Arizona | Sophomore | QB |
| Jarquez | Hunter | Auburn | Senior | RB |
| Dequan | Finn | Baylor | Senior | QB |
| Ashton | Jeanty | Boise State | Junior | RB |
| Thomas | Castellanos | Boston College | Junior | QB |
| Terion | Stewart | Bowling Green | Junior | RB |
| Jaydn | Ott | Cal | Junior | RB |
| Corey | Kiner | Cincinnati | Senior | RB |
| Cade | Klubnik | Clemson | Junior | QB |
| Phil | Mafah | Clemson | Senior | RB |
| Shedeur | Sanders | Colorado  | Senior | QB |
| Tory | Horton | Colorado State | Senior | WR |
| Jordan | Moore | Duke | Senior | WR |
| Graham | Mertz | Florida | Senior | QB |
| DJ | Uiagalelei | Florida State | Senior | QB |
| Carson | Beck | Georgia | Senior | QB |
| Trevor | Etienne | Georgia | Junior | RB |
| Haynes | King | Georgia Tech | Junior | QB |
| Jamal | Haynes | Georgia Tech | Junior | RB |
| Brayden | Schager | Hawaii | Senior | QB |
| Devin | Neal | Kansas | Senior | RB |
| Jalon | Daniels | Kansas | Senior | QB |
| DJ | Giddens | Kansas State | Junior | RB |
| Avery | Johnson | Kansas State | Sophomore | QB |
| Kaidon | Salter | Liberty | Junior | QB |
| Quinton | Cooley | Liberty | Senior | RB |
| Tyler | Shough | Louisville | Senior | QB |
| Garrett | Nussmeier | LSU | Junior | QB |
| Kyren | Lacy | LSU | Senior | WR |
| Seth | Henigan | Memphis | Senior | QB |
| Xavier | Restrepo | Miami | Senior | WR |
| Damien | Martinez | Miami | Junior | RB |
| Cam | Ward | Miami | Senior | QB |
| Donovan | Edwards | Michigan | Senior | RB |
| Darius | Taylor | Minnesota | Sophomore | RB |
| Brady | Cook | Missouri | Senior | QB |
| Luther | Burden | Missouri | Junior | WR |
| Grayson | McCall | NC State | Senior | QB |
| Omarion | Hampton | North Carolina | Junior | RB |
| Antario | Brown | Northern Illinois | Senior | RB |
| Riley | Leonard | Notre Dame | Senior | QB |
| Will | Howard | Ohio State | Senior | QB |
| Quinshon | Judkins | Ohio State | Junior | RB |
| Emeka | Egbuka | Ohio State | Senior | WR |
| Jackson | Arnold | Oklahoma | Sophomore | QB |
| Ollie | Gordon II | Oklahoma State | Junior | RB |
| Jaxson | Dart | Ole Miss | Senior | QB |
| Tez | Johnson | Oregon | Senior | WR |
| Dillon | Gabriel | Oregon | Senior | QB |
| Drew | Allar | Penn State | Junior | QB |
| Nicholas | Singleton | Penn State | Junior | RB |
| Kyle | Monangai | Rutgers | Senior | RB |
| Marquez | Cooper | San Diego State | Senior | RB |
| Preston | Stone | SMU | Junior | QB |
| Raheim | Sanders | South Carolina | Senior | RB |
| Byrum | Brown | South Florida | Sophomore | QB |
| Elic | Ayomanor | Stanford | Sophomore | WR |
| Kyle | McCord | Syracuse | Senior | QB |
| LeQuint | Allen | Syracuse | Junior | RB |
| Nico | Iamaleava | Tennessee | RS Freshman | QB |
| Quinn | Ewers | Texas | Junior | QB |
| Conner | Weigman | Texas A&M | Sophomore | QB |
| Jordan | McCloud | Texas State | Senior | QB |
| Ismail | Mahdi | Texas State | Junior | RB |
| Tahj | Brooks | Texas Tech | Senior | RB |
| Makhi | Hughes | Tulane | Sophomore | RB |
| KJ | Jefferson | UCF | Senior | QB |
| RJ | Harvey | UCF | Senior | RB |
| Ricky | White | UNLV | Senior | WR |
| Miller | Moss | USC | Junior | QB |
| Cameron | Rising | Utah | Senior | QB |
| Jalen | Royals | Utah State | Senior | WR |
| Kyron | Drones | Virginia Tech | Junior | QB |
| Bhayshul | Tuten | Virginia Tech | Senior | RB |
| Will | Rogers | Washington | Senior | QB |
| Garrett | Greene | West Virginia | Senior | QB |
| TJ | Finley | Western Kentucky | Junior | QB |
The Maxwell Football Club has once again partnered with Pro Football Focus (PFF) and Phil Steele Publications as selection committee partners. PFF provides detailed metrics and performance-based assessments to selection committee staff, with several senior PFF analysts are members of our selection committee. Phil Steele's College Football Preview is generally recognized as the most complete preseason magazine.
Â
Semifinalists for the Maxwell Award will be announced November 12, 2024, while the three finalists for the Maxwell Award will be unveiled November 26, 2024. The winners of the 88th Maxwell Award will be announced as part of the ESPN Home Depot College Football Awards Show held on December 12, 2024. The formal presentations of the Maxwell Award will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards in March 2025.
Â
Questions concerning the 2024 Maxwell & Bednarik Award watch list can be directed to MFC Executive Director Mark Wolpert mwolpert@maxwellfootballclub.org or MFC Vice President of College Awards Rich Cirminiello rcirminiello@maxwellfootballclub.org.
Â
ABOUT THE MAXWELL FOOTBALL CLUB – The Maxwell Football Club was founded in 1935 and is the oldest football organization of its kind in America. The Club recognizes excellence in performance at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of the game. The Maxwell Club is also deeply involved and fully vested in the community through programs to promote academic excellence, community volunteerism, and leadership. High school student-athletes around the country have an opportunity to participate in MFC Showcase events, free of charge, through the generosity of our corporate partners, Ivy Rehab, SAFR, the ETC Foundation and the Run Around Inc. To learn more about our story visit www.maxwellfootballclub.org.
Â
ABOUT PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS - PFF is widely recognized as the industry leader in the advanced data collection and analysis for American football. Since 2011, PFF has led football's charge into the world of analytics. Their services are trusted by all 32 NFL teams and over 100 FBS programs. Major broadcast networks, national media outlets and player agencies all use PFF as a resource as well. PFF's media network provides fans with apps, tools, podcasts and other content to help satisfy their thirst for deeper insights in the game.
Â
The Maxwell Award is a member of the National College Football Awards Association (NCFAA), which encompasses college football's most prestigious awards. The NCFAA's 25 awards have honored more than 900 recipients since 1935. This season, 12 NCFAA awards will honor national players of the week each Tuesday.
Sixteen NCFAA members are unveiling preseason watch lists over a two-week period as the association spearheads a coordinated effort to promote each award's preseason candidates. Following is the remaining 2024 preseason watch list calendar:
Tue., July 30: Outland Trophy/Bronko Nagurski Trophy
Wed., July 31: Paycom Jim Thorpe Award
Thu., Aug. 1: Paul Hornung Award/Wuerffel Trophy
Fri., Aug. 2: Lou Groza Award/Ray Guy Award
Mon., Aug. 5: Walter Camp Award
Tue., Aug. 6: Doak Walker Award
Wed., Aug. 7: Biletnikoff Award
Thu., Aug. 8: Davey O'Brien Award
Fri., Aug. 9: Mackey Award/Rimington Trophy
Mon., Aug. 10: Bednarik Award
Tue,, Aug. 13: Butkus Award
TICKETS
Tickets for the upcoming football, volleyball, men's and women's basketball seasons can be purchased by calling 504-861-WAVE (9283), logging on to TulaneTix.com or visiting the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow Tulane football on Twitter and Facebook and Instagram. Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Â
WE ARE NOLA BUILT
Tulane University is located in the city of New Orleans. It is a city built on tradition and resiliency. The lessons Green Wave student-athletes have learned through their connection with this university and city have BUILT doctors, lawyers, business leaders, conference champions, all-conference players, All-Americans, professional athletes and NCAA tournament teams. The city of New Orleans has shaped us into who we are today. We are One City. We are Tulane. We are NOLA BUILT. Check out our story at NolaBuilt.com.
                                                         - TulaneGreenWave -
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